Call Lightning 5e - D&D 5th Edition Spell Book
Call Lightning 5e Spell Effects
3rd-level evocation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
A storm cloud appears in the shape of a cylinder that is 10 feet tall with a 60-foot radius, centered on a point you can see within range directly above you. The spell fails if you can't see a point in the air where the storm cloud could appear (for example, if you are in a room that can't accommodate the cloud).
When you cast the spell, choose a point you can see under the cloud. A bolt of lightning flashes down from the cloud to that point. Each creature within 5 feet of that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d10 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. On each of your turns until the spell ends, you can use your action to call down lightning in this way again, targeting the same point or a different one.
If you are outdoors in stormy conditions when you cast this spell, the spell gives you control over the existing storm instead of creating a new one. Under such conditions, the spell's damage increases by 1d10.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th or higher level, the damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 3rd.
All information on Call Lightning 5e comes from the DnD Player's Handbook.
Classes That Can Cast Call Lightning 5e
Of all classes in the Player's Handbook, only druids gain access to casting call lightning 5e. Yes, call lightning is purely a druid spell.
You would think that sorcerers, wizards, and even nature domain clerics should perhaps be able to cast the spell, but the official rules say otherwise.
Call Lightning Spell Effectiveness
| Damage | 3rd-Level Spell | 4th-Level Spell | 5th-Level Spell | 6th-Level Spell | 7th-Level Spell | 8th-Level Spell | 9th-Level Spell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage Dice | 3d10 | 4d10 | 5d10 | 6d10 | 7d10 | 8d10 | 9d10 |
| Average Damage | 16.5 | 22 | 27.5 | 33 | 38.5 | 44 | 49.5 |
| 3-Target Damage | 49 | 66 | 82 | 99 | 115 | 132 | 148 |
| Average Fighter DPR | 19 | 23 | 27 | 30.5 | 34 | 37.5 | 41 |
Call Lightning Spell Damage
This table provides information on the damage that Call Lightning 5e could do, as compared to a fighter of a similar level (based on the level it would take to cast each spell level). Average fighter DPR refers to their damage per round, which is roughly calculated prior to factoring in hit chance. Also, note that call lightning could easily hit more (or less) than the 3-target damage numbers shown above.
Call Lightning 5e Usefulness
Every spell in D&D 5e that can hit multiple targets has the potential to be absolutely game-breaking when it's cast in the right situation. Try using call lightning in the following ways to maximize its usefulness for you.
- If you're outside, and see multiple enemies clumped together - at least 2, but preferably 3 or more - blast them with call lightning for some huge damage.
- Cast call lightning 5e on any enemies who (somehow) have lightning vulnerability, to double your damage.
- Since you can call down lightning bolts using this spell, every round, for no additional spell slots, try using it when you're besieged. That is, if your enemy has to attack into your position, then the cloud you created can continue to rain down lightning damage upon them.
- For additional value, cast call lightning 5e whenever you happen to be fighting in a storm. Since the spell deals an additional 1d10 damage in stormy weather, this is an excellent time to go crazy with lightning.
- Finally, cast call lightning against enemies with low Dexterity save scores. The higher your hit chance with call lightning 5e, the less likely you are to have your spell damage halved from successful saving throws.
Lightning Damage Resistances, Immunities, and Vulnerabilities
When using call lightning 5e, it's worth knowing ahead of time that in the DnD Monster Manual, there are 35 monsters with lightning damage resistance, 10 monsters with lightning damage immunity, and yes - 0 monsters with lightning damage vulnerability.
Of course, you may come across situations where your dungeon master throws in enemies who have lightning damage vulnerability, but aside from that, call lightning only has liabilities. As with spells like acid splash 5e and burning hands 5e, where tons of monsters have resistance, be very careful about using call lightning on enemies. The worst thing you can have happen is to only deal half damage - or even no damage - against enemies, from casting your 3rd-level spell.
Combine Call Lightning with the Following Spells
Pretty much every damage-based spell becomes more powerful when combined with other spells. Try out some of these high-powered mixtures for some spectacular results.
- Alarm 5e: this one's a little more for fun than optimization. But just imagine setting up the alarm spell while you sleep outdoors. If a group of goblins comes to ambush you, not only are they surprised when your party is already awake, but they'll be absolutely stunned to see the flashing light of an incoming lightning bolt.
- Bane 5e: as with basically every damage spell in D&D, casting bane on your target to lower their saving throw by 1d4 before crushing them with lightning is a major plus. Note that since bane, like call lightning, is also a concentration spell, you'll need to have an ally to set up this combo.
- Haste 5e: since call lightning 5e says that "on each of your turns until the spell ends, you can use your action to call down lightning," it isn't perfectly clear if the limit of lightning bolts is once per turn, or once per action you spend. If the limit is actually actions spent, then having haste maintained on you by an ally actually allows you to effectively double-cast call lightning each turn, causing really massive damage into entire groups of enemies. In any case, this is one where you should strongly consider asking your dungeon master for backup, to let you have some lightning-based fun.
Call Lightning 5e Counters
As with any spell that requires concentration, you have to be cautious about taking damage, or else the spell effect could fade. Also, just note that any enemy who has silence 5e can prevent you from casting call lightning. Meanwhile, enemies affected by Bless 5e have +1d4 on their Dexterity saving throws, making call lighting less likely to hit for full damage.
Perhaps one of the biggest counters to call lightning 5e is that enemies can simply leave the 60-foot radius area that the cloud covers. Once enemies are out of that area, they can no longer be targeted by that same call lightning spell.
Call Lightning-Type Spells in Eternity TTRPG
In the Eternity TTRPG Game System, there are actually a number of spells very similar in nature to Call Lightning 5e. I've provided one example below, in case you're interested in other Games Like DnD which you may not have heard about before.
Dice, Dungeons, Games & More - Eternity TTRPG
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Author - Jacob Tegtman
Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed this article. Tabletop gaming has been a passion of mine since I was 6 years old. I've played just about every game from Dungeons and Dragons to video games like Final Fantasy. These games have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, and brought me endless hours of enjoyment.
I started Eternity TTRPG - and the indie tabletop game that goes along with it (Eternity Shop) - to share my love of gaming with others. I believe that in our technology-driven age, tabletop games help bring a sense of magic and community back into our world.
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Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMheJn1MOd8 Transcription [00:00:00] Hey guys, and welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, where we talk about Eternity in itself, D&D, and anything related to tabletop role-playing. Um, a few weeks ago, we started talking about the different races that you find in Eternity, which you can also use in D&D or other tabletop role-playing, and we had covered humans, Aeteri, and Empyrean. Um, so we're just gonna keep that rolling, and I'm gonna cover two more. We're gonna talk about the Jadori and the Treant. Um, and these two are very different, but they link together so well. It reminds me kind of like, of yin and yang, okay? So let's just jump right in, okay? So Jadori and Treant are linked together because of the lore that you find with them, and I'm gonna keep the lore short and sweet because when you start talking lore, it can [00:01:00] just landslide into, you know, an hour-long video, and that's not what we're looking for. Um, so Jadori and Treant, um, Treant is Trees, it's, um, I've seen it be cactus, bushes, any kind of floral really that you find in nature. Um, so if you ever wanted to play a tree and be friends with the forest, there you go. Jadore is gonna be this lion-like, um, character that has jade for their claws and their fangs, which is kind of where they get their name, Jadore. So they are very aggressive and protective of their, you know, animal counterparts. So these two work together in the lore. So the Treant race and the Jadore race are tasked with cre- not [00:02:00] creating, they're tasked with protecting, um, the Tree of Life, and this Tree of Life, think like blue people avatar giant tree where all life is at, and it's a great meeting location. It's just this interconnected forest, and these two races are tasked with protecting it, the Treants, the floral side of it, the Jadore, the fauna side of it, and what one side lacks, the other picks up. However, lore-wise, they actually fail at this. There's some kind of ultimate betrayal that happens, and they ultimately fail, and the Tree of Life is destroyed, and rather than having this vast green area, you now have this desert, and that happened many, many years ago in the lore, like hundreds, thousands. I'm not 100% sure, but that's lore for you. In present times, the Tree of Life is attempting to grow back, and it's [00:03:00] still this massive tree, not like it used to be, but still pretty massive, and Treants and Jadore are returning to it to, you know, protect it again and try not to fail again. At least that's the idea in the lore. Real quick to interrupt. Eternity TTRPG is releasing a card game battler which emulates combat from the D&D tabletop role-playing genre. Sparks of Eternity: Emanation is fast-paced, easy to learn, and features six classes from your favorite TTRPGs. Each class deck comes with its own set of unique abilities, which everyone plays at the same time, so there's never any downtime at your table. Each turn, everyone's characters levels up, giving players access to even more options. If you're interested in taking a look, we have our pre-sales page live now, packed with details. No payment info needed. Just let us know if you want an email when the product becomes available. Now, back to your video So jumping into them a little bit [00:04:00] separately, yes, they're super intertwined, and they're opposites of each other, but on a separate side, right? Jadori is this lion race that is super protective of everything fauna related, and they are a beast master of sorts, right? Because they're gonna work with all of these different creatures, bring them together, protect them, rule them, in a sense. And very aggressive, very protective, very blunt. Um, and one thing that we see with Jadori with their stats and everything is that they have very high agility, which is gonna lend itself to, um, the strength and how quick you are with your turns, um, how hard you hit. It's definitely more of a melee race. Um, so a beast master class or a judge or a lancer or I believe barbarians, berserkers, those are gonna be really good [00:05:00] with Jadori. Um, they also really don't care about politics or really have much influence when it comes to anything except protecting the tree When we move over to their opposites with treants, um, treants, once again, don't care politically. They just care about protecting the forest They care about protecting the floral, right? So that's gonna be your trees, your flowers, your bushes, anything that grows. Um, they are very druidic, um, so druids are gonna be great races for them, or any caster really, because when you start looking at their stats, they are the complete opposite of Jadori. So their strength, their agility is low. They can barely move because you're supposed to be this lumbering tree. However, their spirit is super high, if not one of the highest, um, of all the races. So they're a very good caster class. Like I [00:06:00] said, druids. Um, in the world of Eternity, you've got, like, pyromancer, cryomancer, your oracles. They're really good for those kind of classes. But you don't really wanna see a berserker tree. That doesn't completely make sense in this case. However, to each their own. Do what you want. Um, so that kinda covers both of these races and how they're intertwined. Um, obviously there is so much more lore when you start getting into Eternity and diving into that game, and we hope to have a book out at some point showing this lore and showcasing it to share it, right? Um, for now, we'll just talk about it on the channel and keep things going, and we'll show you some more races, uh, next time, okay? As always, keep it going, and if you wanna see more of anything going on with Eternity, head to, uh, eternityttrpg.com. And as always, these races can be combined into D&D. You just gotta get [00:07:00] a little creative. See ya.
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMheJn1MOd8 Transcription [00:00:00] Hey guys, and welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, where we talk about Eternity in itself, D&D, and anything related to tabletop role-playing. Um, a few weeks ago, we started talking about the different races that you find in Eternity, which you can also use in D&D or other tabletop role-playing, and we had covered humans, Aeteri, and Empyrean. Um, so we're just gonna keep that rolling, and I'm gonna cover two more. We're gonna talk about the Jadori and the Treant. Um, and these two are very different, but they link together so well. It reminds me kind of like, of yin and yang, okay? So let's just jump right in, okay? So Jadori and Treant are linked together because of the lore that you find with them, and I'm gonna keep the lore short and sweet because when you start talking lore, it can [00:01:00] just landslide into, you know, an hour-long video, and that's not what we're looking for. Um, so Jadori and Treant, um, Treant is Trees, it's, um, I've seen it be cactus, bushes, any kind of floral really that you find in nature. Um, so if you ever wanted to play a tree and be friends with the forest, there you go. Jadore is gonna be this lion-like, um, character that has jade for their claws and their fangs, which is kind of where they get their name, Jadore. So they are very aggressive and protective of their, you know, animal counterparts. So these two work together in the lore. So the Treant race and the Jadore race are tasked with cre- not [00:02:00] creating, they're tasked with protecting, um, the Tree of Life, and this Tree of Life, think like blue people avatar giant tree where all life is at, and it's a great meeting location. It's just this interconnected forest, and these two races are tasked with protecting it, the Treants, the floral side of it, the Jadore, the fauna side of it, and what one side lacks, the other picks up. However, lore-wise, they actually fail at this. There's some kind of ultimate betrayal that happens, and they ultimately fail, and the Tree of Life is destroyed, and rather than having this vast green area, you now have this desert, and that happened many, many years ago in the lore, like hundreds, thousands. I'm not 100% sure, but that's lore for you. In present times, the Tree of Life is attempting to grow back, and it's [00:03:00] still this massive tree, not like it used to be, but still pretty massive, and Treants and Jadore are returning to it to, you know, protect it again and try not to fail again. At least that's the idea in the lore. Real quick to interrupt. Eternity TTRPG is releasing a card game battler which emulates combat from the D&D tabletop role-playing genre. Sparks of Eternity: Emanation is fast-paced, easy to learn, and features six classes from your favorite TTRPGs. Each class deck comes with its own set of unique abilities, which everyone plays at the same time, so there's never any downtime at your table. Each turn, everyone's characters levels up, giving players access to even more options. If you're interested in taking a look, we have our pre-sales page live now, packed with details. No payment info needed. Just let us know if you want an email when the product becomes available. Now, back to your video So jumping into them a little bit [00:04:00] separately, yes, they're super intertwined, and they're opposites of each other, but on a separate side, right? Jadori is this lion race that is super protective of everything fauna related, and they are a beast master of sorts, right? Because they're gonna work with all of these different creatures, bring them together, protect them, rule them, in a sense. And very aggressive, very protective, very blunt. Um, and one thing that we see with Jadori with their stats and everything is that they have very high agility, which is gonna lend itself to, um, the strength and how quick you are with your turns, um, how hard you hit. It's definitely more of a melee race. Um, so a beast master class or a judge or a lancer or I believe barbarians, berserkers, those are gonna be really good [00:05:00] with Jadori. Um, they also really don't care about politics or really have much influence when it comes to anything except protecting the tree When we move over to their opposites with treants, um, treants, once again, don't care politically. They just care about protecting the forest They care about protecting the floral, right? So that's gonna be your trees, your flowers, your bushes, anything that grows. Um, they are very druidic, um, so druids are gonna be great races for them, or any caster really, because when you start looking at their stats, they are the complete opposite of Jadori. So their strength, their agility is low. They can barely move because you're supposed to be this lumbering tree. However, their spirit is super high, if not one of the highest, um, of all the races. So they're a very good caster class. Like I [00:06:00] said, druids. Um, in the world of Eternity, you've got, like, pyromancer, cryomancer, your oracles. They're really good for those kind of classes. But you don't really wanna see a berserker tree. That doesn't completely make sense in this case. However, to each their own. Do what you want. Um, so that kinda covers both of these races and how they're intertwined. Um, obviously there is so much more lore when you start getting into Eternity and diving into that game, and we hope to have a book out at some point showing this lore and showcasing it to share it, right? Um, for now, we'll just talk about it on the channel and keep things going, and we'll show you some more races, uh, next time, okay? As always, keep it going, and if you wanna see more of anything going on with Eternity, head to, uh, eternityttrpg.com. And as always, these races can be combined into D&D. You just gotta get [00:07:00] a little creative. See ya.
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeVWenMXd68 Transcription Hey, y'all. How's it been? So one of the questions that I hear so often is, " How do I get my girlfriend, my wife, my significant other to play D&D with me or other tabletop role-playing games," right? I always also hear, like, I hear from my husband's friends, "You are so lucky you have a wife that wants to do these things with you." It was not always like that, okay? Five years ago when I met this man, and he was like, "I am into Fan Expo, and animes, and ren fairs, and tabletop role-playing, and D&D," and I just looked at him like, "What are you talking about? What are those things, and why are you into them? They just seem really silly." Um, of course, now five years later, I enjoy them with him, um, but it wasn't always like that, okay? So we spent a lot of time trying to figure out what would [00:01:00] get me into it, right? And of course, I did my first campaign, created my first character, and something that I really liked about that character is that it had a familiar, um, a summon that was its buddy, right? And, you know, I'm the kind of person that if I have a little furry friend, it's makes everything better. Real quick to interrupt. Eternity TTRPG is releasing a card game battler which emulates combat from the D&D tabletop role-playing genre. Sparks of Eternity: Emanation is fast-paced, easy to learn, and features six classes from your favorite TTRPGs. Each class deck comes with its own set of unique abilities, which everyone plays at the same time, so there's never any downtime at your table. Each turn, everyone's characters levels up, giving players access to even more options. If you're interested in taking a look, we have our pre-sales page live now, packed with details. No [00:02:00] payment info needed. Just let us know if you want an email when the product becomes available. Now, back to your video So that's one of the things that I want to bring up that you could potentially use to help get your significant other into tabletop role-playing. Um, and one of the things that I've found that I actually really like, I found it last year at Gen Con, is made by Hit Point Press, okay? So we were just walking the aisles at Gen Con, and I found it out of nowhere, It made me change my look a little bit, and it was, like, exactly what I wanted from a game rather than just constantly seeing the I don't know. It's just, it's weird when you're looking at it from a female perspective versus a male perspective. Um, and anyway, Hit Point Press had this item, and it is called The Floral Dragons Field Guide. And it is beautiful artwork, which really drew me in, [00:03:00] but it takes these everyday whimsical flowers and turns them into dragons. It is so beautifully illustrated. , There was a wisteria dragon, a dandelion dragon, , oh, goodness, the cherry blossoms. The cherry blossom dragon is probably my favorite. But what this did for me was give me a really beautiful outlet, but also a way to dive into the world and my own way to connect, right? So this field guide is 5e D&D compatible, which is great, right? And it was this whole field guide and idea of just finding these different dragons in the world around us, and it brought an everyday whimsy to my life 'cause now I don't just see a flower, I see the dragon that it could be, or perhaps the fairies that are in it. And I think that is the way to [00:04:00] get your significant other, wife, girlfriend, to connect with you on these tabletop role-playing games, is to bring the whimsical into your everyday life. Okay? So go out on that walk, point it out, and say, "Hey, maybe a fairy lives there." Now, obviously, not all w- women are this way. Um, I just happen to be that way, and I feel like there are a lot of women that are that way, that want to find that whimsy in life, that whimsical thing. So this guide that I found, um, it actually sold out in a lot of different versions at Gen Con, and I was able to get the box set. So it had the field guide, but it also had flashcards of each dragon, and then it had, uh, a DM screen. So super pretty art on one side showcasing all the dragons, and the other side showing how they can poison, paralyze, and do all the mean things that- You know, [00:05:00] we just like to do sometimes. That it goes into your role-playing game, right? 'Cause if you're gonna sneak up on some, um, fungi dragon, right, you would hope they would do something back to you. 'Cause you know, fungi in normal life can be good or bad depending on how you consume it. So it just kind of makes sense. Um, so anyway, that was one thing that helped me connect into this tabletop role playing world, was bringing the whimsy into my normal everyday life. And this guide, The Floral Dragon's Field Guide by Hit Point Press, did just that for me. Of course, there's other things that have come up over time, and I do hope to dive into those more because every woman's different and every woman finds what they enjoy and how they can connect with their significant other. Um, but this is just one way that has worked for me. Um, and like I said, you can take pieces of this field guide that I found, put it into just about any tabletop role playing game. Of course, if you wanna know [00:06:00] more about the one that my husband created, that's gonna be at eternityttrpg.com. And of course, I have to hype him up 'cause he's amazing. Um, but as always, you can head over there and like, comment, subscribe and we'll jump more into his game, other D&D stuff, other tabletop role playing and just see what we can find in life. Bye, guys.